The proposed research is designed to elucidate the mechanistic parameters of the elementary steps catalyzed by the nickel- containing acetyl-coenzyme A synthase (ACS) using well-defined low molecular weight systems. Included among these steps are the nonenzymatic transfer of a methyl group from the corrinoid protein (C/Fe-SP) to the A cluster, CO insertion into the CH3-A cluster bond and thiolate addition to the CH3C(O)-A cluster. To this end, first it will be necessary to prepare synthetic analogs that contain the key features of the catalytic site (A cluster). A structural model consistent with all spectroscopic data (an X- ray structure is not available) includes a single nickel ion in a (N/O)2S2 donor environment linked through a covalent bridge, X, to an [Fe3S4]2+ cluster. Chemical reactivity studies will entail probing stoichiometric transformations using the synthetic analogs. Individual reactions will be systematically interrogated using the protocols of mechanistic inorganic chemistry including product analyses, kinetic measurements, stereochemical and radical clock probe investigations. The long- term goal of this project is to develop a detailed mechanistic understanding of how the structural, electronic and chemical properties of biological heterometallic clusters are optimized for the intended catalytic transformations. The proposed research impacts our understanding of the biological implications of the essential trace element nickel that include the virility of Helicobacter pylori which has been associated with peptic ulcer disease, gastric carcinoma, and gastric lymphoma, and carcinogenesis through production of oxidizing species that degrade DNA. Additionally, acetongenic and methanogenic bacteria, organisms that contain ACS, may be important to human digestive function and dysfunction as they occupy a large volume of the colon. More broadly, a deeper understanding of ACS is valuable to our fundamental understanding of the general class of biological heterometallic assemblies, e.g. the catalytic sites in [NiFe] hydrogenase, sulfite reductase, cytochrome c oxidase, [CuZn] superoxide dismutase and the nitrogenase cofactor.